This Week's NATIONAL ETIQUETTE AWARD goes to... Turkmenistan!

Turkmenistan - Wikipedia

Turkmenistan - World Factbook

Turkmenistan - Nations Encyclopedia

Turkmenistan Project

I hereby grant the National Etiquette Award to Turkmenistan, as it is customary in that country to remove shoes when entering homes.

Turkmenistan was once part of the Soviet Union and is now officially a secular democratic republic. In reality it is a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by President Saparmurat Niyazov. Niyazov is a real class act. While 58% of his people live below the poverty line, he spends the nation's money building palaces and statues of himself. He also calls himself the "King of kings" and in 2001 he published Rukhname, a spiritual guide that became an informal legal code for the country. It is a guide to Turkmen national cultural and ethical personal behavior, forcibly imposed on the country and claimed to make up shortcomings in both the Bible and the Koran. Niyazov got the puppet legislature to declare him President for life in 1999.

The constitution grants a very long list of individual rights, but there is no freedom of the press. No one is allowed to describe the President or his family negatively. Reporters are not permitted to mention that the President is a very short man, or that he wears a toupee, either.

While there is no official national religion, there is very little freedom of religion in Turkmenistan. The government allows for meetings of registered religious groups, but the process is so complicated that most groups do not bother attempting to register and exist underground instead. A group must have at least 500 members in the location in which it is attempting to register. That requirement alone undoubtedly keeps many Christian denominations unregistered. As of 2002, the only two religions that were officially registered were Sunni Islam and Russian Orthodox Christianity. Approximately 89% of the population is Muslim.

As of 2001 there were only around 1,000 Evangelical Christians in Turkmenistan, and they are subject to state persecution. Earlier this month a Baptist Russian citizen residing in Turkmenistan was forcibly taken from his Turkmen wife and two young children and deported. One of the reasons he was deported was for holding religious services in his home. See the full story here.

Turkmenistan remains a country in dire need of the Gospel!

Star Jones Fired! Falling Shoes

Star Jones and Falling Shoes

Star Jones Fired from the View!
Update as of June 29th



Star Jones was on Larry King Live. She has a very long interview with him. Check out the transcripts here.
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Television host Star Jones Reynolds has hit back at former "The View" co-host Barbara Walters' claim she was "fired" from the show due to poor individual ratings. Barbara Walters also had a little something to say in response :

ABC

"We didn't expect her to make this statement yesterday," Barbara Walters said on Wednesday. "She gave us no warning and we were taken by surprise. But the truth is that Star has known for months that ABC did not want to renew her contract and that she would not be asked back in the fall."

On Wednesday, Reynolds added fuel to the current fire when she called in to a Los Angeles radio show and spoke to Ryan Seacrest.

"I was told yesterday that they did not want me to return today," Reynolds said on the radio.

"So you're not going on today?" Seacrest asked.

"Nope, not at all," Reynolds replied. "I was told yesterday was my last day."

Despite the controversy, Walters offered a word of thanks to Jones.

"'The View' helped make Star a star and Star helped make 'The View' the success that it is," Walters said. "We will never forget that. We wish her well in this new chapter of her life as we begin a new chapter on "The View."

The show's other hosts have remained mum so far, as speculation begins over who might replace Reynolds and Meredith Viera, who left recently to prepare for her new job as co-host of NBC's "Today Show."

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Update: Star Jones is really leaving The View...in July!

"The View" co-host Star Jones Reynolds said on Tuesday she is leaving the daytime chat show in July, no doubt disappointing fans who hoped to see sparks fly when Rosie O'Donnell joins the program this fall.

But the congenial tone of the on-air announcement, with Jones Reynolds trading warm words with co-cost and executive producer Barbara Walters, glossed over behind-the-scenes friction leading to her widely expected departure.

"I feel like I was fired," she said in an interview with People magazine, adding that she was told her contract would not be renewed just days before media reports first surfaced this spring that O'Donnell -- one of her most vocal critics -- was joining "The View."

Jones Reynolds, 44, seemed to take her fellow co-hosts by surprise when she interrupted Tuesday's broadcast to confirm media reports that she was leaving after nine years on the ABC show with Walters, Joy Behar and Meredith Vieira.

"After much prayer and counsel I feel like this is the right time to tell you that the show is moving in another direction for its 10th season, and I will not be returning as co-host next year," she said on the air.

"That's shocking to me," Behar said as the studio audience gasped and Jones Reynolds clasped hands with her colleagues.

Thanking Walters "for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime," Jones Reynolds concluded: "I'm not sure what the future holds, but I'm absolutely sure who holds the future."

After a standing ovation from the audience, Walters, too, said Tuesday's announcement was unexpected, adding: "It is my joy that we have had you for nine years, and my sadness that it has turned out this way."

The gracious exchange concealed off-camera theatrics preceding "The View's" latest casting change.






Creator Barbara Walters said she was "betrayed" by Star Jones Reynolds' surprise on-air announcement of her exit from the daytime talk show Tuesday. Reynolds said in a magazine interview she felt she was fired.

Either way, the "help wanted" sign is up again at the show, months after it was announced that Rosie O'Donnell was replacing Meredith Vieira as a cast member in the fall.

Reynolds' exit had been rumored for months, intensifying Tuesday after reports on "Access Hollywood" and in the New York tabloids that an announcement would be coming soon.

Still, Walters said she was taken by complete surprise when Reynolds announced her departure after the first commercial break on Tuesday. The announcement had been planned for Thursday, she said.

"I love Star and I was trying to do everything I possibly could — up until this morning when I was betrayed — to protect her," Walters told The Associated Press.

Walters also said she wasn't aware until she got off the air of Reynolds' People magazine interview. Reynolds, one of the original cast members when the show started nine years ago, said: "I feel like I was fired."

That seems to be the case. Walters said ABC network chiefs had decided last fall not to renew Reynolds' contract because its research showed that Reynolds' dramatic weight loss and 2004 wedding to banker Al Reynolds had turned off viewers. Reynolds had been criticized for a Web site that promoted companies that donated items for the wedding party's gift bags.

"We tried to talk them out of it," Walters said, "and we tried to give Star time to redeem herself in the eyes of the audience, and the research just kept getting worse."

Reynolds' spokesman, Brad Zeifman, said the announcement had always been planned for this week. Because of all the speculation, Reynolds was compelled to tell viewers, he said.

He said he finds the notion that viewers were turned off by talk of her wedding "surprising," given that some of the top-rated shows in 2004 were related to her wedding and engagement. Reynolds' recent book in which she discussed her weight loss was a best-seller, he said.

Walters said Reynolds had known for several months that she would not be coming back, before Vieira's announcement in April that she was leaving.

"I would have loved for Star to have left and not said 'I was fired,' and not make it look like the program was somehow being cruel to her," she said.

O'Donnell's hiring had nothing to do with the decision, she said. That April announcement had led to widespread speculation over whether O'Donnell and Reynolds could co-exist. O'Donnell had made several caustic remarks about Reynolds, saying that it was dishonest for her to talk about losing more than 100 pounds through diet and exercise without talking about gastric bypass surgery.

On the show Tuesday, Reynolds told the audience that "The View" had decided to move in a new direction.

"I'm not sure what the future holds," she said. "But I'm absolutely sure who holds the future."

Comic Joy Behar looked like she was shocked.

"Who am I going to fight with?" Behar said.

Reynolds replied: "Something tells me you will have somebody to fight with."

Star Jones's "star" or shoes seem to be falling. I was home from work about a month ago and just happened to see her on The View and she looked miserable. She just did not look happy at all. She has lost a lot of weight but she does not look good. Odd how that works. Canada.com reports that she is selling her New York home for 2.25 million dollars.

Located atop 300 East 90th Street on the Upper East Side, the apartment has two bedrooms and a full bathroom on the first floor; a living room, dining room with fireplace, kitchen, powder room and a master bedroom suite with dressing room on the second floor; and a “party” room or extra bedroom on the third floor.

Rumor has it also that she and her "very manly" husband are headed for divorce court. I am not too sure about him. Something is not quite right with him. Are not all rumors based in some truth? So those rumors about him being gay had to stem from something. I do not think I could ever marry anyone with that sort of question/rumour/doubt swirling over his head.

The New York News

The official word from the couple is that all is well. But another source says they could be close to splitting, with Star considering a divorce lawyer.

The couple has been under scrutiny since their November 2004 wedding, which made headlines for the freebies they solicited from sponsors. And stories that Reynolds dated men before walking down the aisle led many to question whether it was a match made in heaven.

Jones' future as a co-host of "The View" also looks less than secure, especially since her nemesis Rosie O'Donnell was announced as a replacement for Meredith Vieira. Star was absent from her chair Friday, and "View:-eurs are noticing that she has been mentioning Al less on-air lately.



Honeymoon over????

I hear that Star Jones is about to be fired from The View as well. Gayle King is suppsed to be her replacement. I cannot imagine that Rosie is going on that show. It has jumped the shark! Maybe if Star and Rosie has stayed together.....now that would be a show to watch. I imagine the sparks would be flying! I just cannot stomach Rosie anymore. I used to think she was great. Now...just so-so. I would MAYBE watch her on a comedy show..a sitcom, but not a news type program. She is SOOOO over in that department. Meredith is a big blow to the show, I think. The View's view may be limited to the view of the door that says "cancelled."




ONES GETTING ' VIEW' VAMOOSE STAR Jones Reynolds has been told to hitch up her hefty wagonload of freebies and waddle off into the sunset, sources say.

ABC will announce this week that the big-boned talking head is out at "The View," a source close to the inner workings of the late-morning gabfest tells Page Six. What network brass won't say is that she's being unceremoniously ousted at the direct behest of the show's grand dame Barbara Walters and the incoming Rosie O'Donnell.

"It was always Rosie's condition of joining the show, and Barbara agreed to those conditions from the outset," our source said. The network and Jones are now concocting a face-saving scenario in which Jones will be touted as moving on to pursue important new projects.

Jones' camp yesterday denied the blustery babbler is going anywhere. "It's 100 percent not true. Where are you hearing this?" a rep for Jones said. A "View" flack echoed that. But those denials come on the heels of reports that Oprah Winfrey's best friend, Gayle King, may be in line to take over Jones' chair on the kitschy coffee klatch.

And while publicly, the show says Jones is "welcome" to remain on "The View" as long as she wants, insiders confirmed late last week that her agents are quietly shopping around for a new job for her.





Star Jones have a new side job. She is the AOL LOVE COACH. Now how she can be a love coach with that questionable husband is beyond me, but she is. Check out that link here.


Her new book can be purchased here at this link.






What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Take Off Your Shoes by Michael Griffiths

I obtained an old book entitled 'Take off your Shoes' by Michael Griffiths, which was published by OMF in the Seventies. It is about missionary work in Japan.

I saw this book six years ago,in the secondhand section of a Christian bookshop. I did not buy it, but it did make me contemplate the thought of being a missionary in Japan. I managed to find a secondhand copy on the internet whcih I received today.

Being written in the Seventies, it is probably out of date, but I feel I would really like to read it.

Fancy a Picnic?

It is about the time of year for picnics.

You should always remove your shoes before putting your feet on a picnic blanket. Not only do people sit on picnic blankets, but they put food on them. Resting shoes on a picnic blanket is like putting your shoes on the dinner table or even a dinner plate.

Many people who wear shoes at home will remove their shoes before sitting on a picnic blanket, but it is amazing that some people will keep their dirty shoes on.

Louis Vuitton Shoes



I just love all of these Louis Vuitton shoes!


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Weed killer

Today when I came home for lunch there was a young man spraying weed killer on weeds growing along the side of the building. One weed he sprayed was directly in front of the steps going down to my front door. Then it rained this afternoon. I am sure that the rain water picked up some of the poison from the weed killer and spread it on the areas that my roommate and I, and any guests we may have, too, walk on to get to the apartment. I really don't want weed killer, even diluted weed killer, on my carpet. My hands were full, but my shoes still came off as soon as I came in the door!

Willie Cole: Soul to Soul

Wonderful shoe exhibits by Willie Cole. Very interesting.



Cole is known for his inventive transformations of found materials into uncanny sculptures that depict everything from domestic objects and animals to African artifacts and ante-bellum imagery, often rendered with humor and/or political references.

Willie Cole's exhibition of new work, titled Sole to Soul, opened at Alexander and Bonin on Saturday, January 7th, 2006.

During a 2004-05 residency at the University of Georgia, Athens, Willie Cole located a supply of several thousand pairs of high-heeled shoes which inspired him to return to the use of this particular found object. He uses the high-heeled shoe to tell an evolving story from beauty and sex to nature and tantric spirituality. The artist's interest in Buddhism has developed since the 1980's and for the work in this exhibition he has particularly referenced the mandalas and deities associated with Tibetan Buddhism.

In Sole to Soul, the shoes are formed into circles expressing the concept of lotus blossoms which die and flower again. The styles and colors of the shoes dictate the form; the blossoms range in diameter from 4 to 7 feet. In other works, referencing shrines, intertwining legs and arms surround some of the halos or auras.


With a Heart of Gold


Dirty Little Soles


Pretty in Pink


Made in the Philippines


Harlem Rose

What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

This Week's NATIONAL ETIQUETTE AWARD goes to... Sweden!

Sweden- Wikipedia

The Official Gateway to Sweden

Government Office of Sweden

Sweden Information Smorgasbord

I hereby grant the National Etiquette Award to Sweden, as it is customary in that country to remvoe shoes when entering homes.

I do love Nordic countries. There is plenty about them to dislike, but I still love them all the same.

My choice this week was inspired by England playing Sweden in the World Cup the other day. The score was 2:2, a draw, but apparently an acceptable outcome according to the complicated system of World Cup Soccer. Not that I like Soccer in any way.

Sweden was in the seventeenth century the greatest Protestant power in Europe. It controlled a powerful empire in northern Europe. However, it was decisively beaten by Peter the Great of Russia.

The Swedes have lived under one of the most expensive and extravagant welfare states in the world. However, they seem to be slowly realising that all that welfare has a cost.

The Swedish welfare state goes hand in hand with authoritarianism. Smacking children is illegal in Sweden, a very unfortunate policy. In fact, there is even an official list of names for children. Parents can only give their children names from this list. I bet my preferred choice of Seraphim does not feature.

On the other hand, homosexuality is tolerated. In fact, a few years ago, a Pentecostal pastor was jailed for preaching against homosexuality. However, he managed to sucessfully appeal against his conviction.

The other day I met an evangelist from Sweden. He said his application to study at the main theological college in Sweden had been refused because he had signed a letter to staff and students there affirming Biblical views on homosexuality. He said he was bringing this to the European Court of Human Rights.

I do love the Scandinavian minimalist style of inteirior design. I think it is very tasteful.

The Swedes have given the world Ikea. These shops sell some quite beautiful things, but unfortunately they all come in horrible flatpacks that are a nightmare to assemble.

Vietnamese Family in Worcester

The local newspaper had an article today about a Vietnamese family who had come to Worcester as refugees. They had prospered and were now a part of the community.

I was glad to see in the photograph that the family were all in their socks. They had presumably not abandoned the Vietnamese custom of removing shoes at the door.

Recently Published Book Advocates Shoes-Off Rule

I saw a new book on house cleaning in the bookshop today. It advocated making homes a shoeless zone and politely asking family, friends and guests to remove their shoes. It suggested putting a nice basket by the door for guests to put their shoes in.

This Week's NATIONAL ETIQUETTE AWARD goes to... Norway!

Norway - Wikipedia

Norway - World Factbook

Norway.com

Tidy little houses nestled among the trees greet you as you approach land. Small islands provide homes for the locals, whose boats you see neatly lined up on shore in a cove. At the end of the fjord you disembark in Oslo, the capital city of Norway. It is a city of history, neatly decorated with beautiful flowers and numerous statues.

As a recent visitor remarked, "Art, flowers, cleanliness are all an important part of Scandinavia." The city was clean, and the people were not slovenly. The buildings were not shabby. The Scandinavian appreciation for aesthetic neatness and cleanliness extends to their homes. It is customary in Norway to remove your shoes when entering a home.

Unfortunately they do not attend to their souls as well as they attend to their appearance and property. While 85% of Norwegians officially belong to the state church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway, and more belong to other Christian denominations, only 3% of the nation's population attend church on Sundays. Despite low church attendance, Norway is one of the world's top sending nations, with 1,060 missionaries serving in 82 countries in 2001. In return, 16 countries sent a small total of 59 missionaries to Norway.

The people of Norway have twice voted against joining the European Union, which makes Norway the only Scandinavian country that is not part of the EU, although they cooperate closely with it.

Nine West: Project Front Row

Nine West, the slumping affordable-footwear brand, is trying to spice up its image by hitching itself to the glamorous world of fashion design.

At a splashy New York fashion show tonight, Nine West, owned by Jones Apparel Group Inc., plans to unveil three limited-edition designer collections that will be available in stores for just a month each. Models will strut down the catwalk wearing footwear and accessories designed by British fashion icon Vivienne Westwood, along with items by emerging talents Sophia Kokosalaki and Thakoon Panichgul.

The show marks the launch of "Project Front Row," Nine West's plan to lure customers with a small number of expensive designer products -- a strategy that is part of a broader trend by midtier and mass retailers. The three Nine West collections, which are set to hit stores over three months beginning Sept. 1, will range in price from $160 to $350 a pair, at least double the cost of typical Nine West shoes.

"Part of the allure is having a very narrow distribution," says Stacy Lastrina, Jones Apparel's executive vice president for marketing and creative services. The shoes will be sold in Nine West's top 20 retail stores based on sales and on a special section of the NineWest.com Web site. The footwear also will be available at 40 of Federated Department Stores Inc.'s Macy's stores.

More here!

Here are some shoes by Vivienne Westwood. Interesting. Kind of clunky.










What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Hayfever- I do go on!

I was a bit sneezey this morning. Looks like I am getting Hayfever a bit.

Just a reminder, removing your shoes at the door will really help reduce your exposure to pollen.

If you or your family are Hayfever sufferers, I highly recommend leaving those summer sandals or flip flops at the door.

Properly equipped for carpet protection

My new apartment has very light colored carpet that was installed earlier this week and my roommate and I agreed that we should endeavor to keep it looking as nice as possible. We will therefore graciously enforce a shoes off rule. In order to facilitate such a request easily, I purchased a shoe rack to go by the front door. This is useful for a few reasons. We can keep shoes that we wear most often by the door for easy access and allow a place for guests to place their shoes. It will also help maintain a much neater look than just piling shoes by the door. It was not expensive and will provide excellent assistance to our efforts to maintain clean floors and a neat apartment.

Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt on People



It's the first official photo of Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, born in Namibia on May 27 to a"very excited and happy" Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. See more exclusive photos of the beautiful baby girl in this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Death Comes to Terrorist Shoes!



Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Dead!

It pays to not to be able to sleep sometimes. I was up watching Conan when the news (MSNBC) cut in with a special report. The most wanted terrorist is now dead. Killed overnight in a US special forces attack. A predator drone was used to track him according to the news report.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in the Sulaimaniyah mountains of northern Iraq "during the American bombing there," according to a statement circulated in Fallujah this week and signed by the "Leadership of the Allahu Akbar Mujahedeen." He was apparently in a safe house that was bombed. The US forces for a tip he was there.

The statement did not say when al-Zarqawi was supposedly killed, but U.S. jets bombed strongholds of the extremist Ansar al-Islam in the north last April as Saddam Hussein's regime was collapsing.

It said al-Zarqawi was unable to escape the bombing because of his artificial leg.


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Soul of Africa Shoes

Wayne sent me this interesting article.

As the head of the footwear company Clarks, Lance Clark makes plenty of soles. He has also proved he has a heart --and a soul-- with his philanthropic initiative, Soul of Africa. Clark designed a moccasin slide called the Khulani and taught South African villagers to make the handsewn footwear. The comfy moccasin was sold in South Africa and the UK, and more than $250,000 has been raised to build a orphanage for AIDS orphans in South Africa. The Khulani is available at Clarks stores nationwide, along with the Giyabonga moccasin; both styles are 49.99. Clarks will donate all profits to the care and support of the AIDS orphans. The shoes also are available online at www.zappos.com for $55.95 a pair.




What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Baby Shoes for Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt

Well, the picture has been leaked over the internet and I have searched and found it just about everywhere. On many, many blogs, posted (very largely) in discussion forums and even on the google search page for images. This picture is all over the web. One blog site has removed their picture but has offered to send it by email to anyone who wants it if they leave their email address. It is supposed to be an exclusive cover that Brad and Angelina have sold for millions of dollars. The money is all for charity.



Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have sold the first photos of their daughter Shiloh Nouvel, with profits going to charity. "While we celebrate the joy of the birth of our daughter, we recognize that two million babies born every year in the developing world die on the first day of their lives," the couple said in a statement.

"These children can be saved, but only if governments around the world make it a priority." The photos -- taken at a private shoot-- will be distributed by Getty Images.
What will Shiloh be wearing in the way of shoes? Most likely only the best. It could be tiptoes by Anne Geddes. These are hand made italian leather shoes. (0-12 months)


Tip Toes $74.50


Maybe she will be donned with shoes by No Sugar Added. These are hand made in Portugal from chrome-free nappa leathers, our shoes are free of heavy metals and chemical dyes. Elasticated cuffs on all shoes ensure they remain on little feet. I like these gold ones but you can see the entire collection here.





Shiloh might look cute in shoes by Pazitos. There are some very cute styles and colors on their site. Love these!

For the more hip cool shoe for baby, they might select Baby Rock apparel.




For winter I would recommend these cute UGG baby booties! How cute. They are only $50.00


Burberry has a kids and infants line. She might look cute in Burberry booties with the matching hat. Note the plaid! Available in pink and blue for $175.00.



Highend choices would include baby Gucci shoes. These have the horsebit and are $230.00






Madras Mary Jane by Baby Gap $22.00

There are many, many more choice for Shiloh as far as baby shoes. What is a baby to do? The real question is what is Jennifer Aniston to do? Supposedly she tried to be happy for the couple but broke down and cried when she heard the news....it could have been her baby! Poor thing! Life just is not fair sometimes.

What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Billy Preston: Soulful Shoes Now Gone!

Fifth Beatle Dies at 59



Billy Preston, the exuberant keyboardist who landed dream gigs with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and enjoyed his own hit singles, including "Outta Space" and "Nothing From Nothing," died Tuesday at 59.

Billy Preston, the singer-songwriter famous for his collaborations with Ray Charles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and the Beatles, among others, as well as for the Grammy-winning solo hits "Outta Space" and "Nothing From Nothing," died Tuesday from complications due to chronic kidney failure. He was 59.

Preston's sister, Lettie Preston, told Reuters the legendary entertainer had been in a coma at a Scottsdale, Arizona, hospital since last November after his kidneys failed as the result of a long series of ailments he had battled over the years, including drug addiction.

His health on the decline, he underwent a kidney transplant in 2002, but the organ subsequently failed and he was placed on dialysis. Published reports list the cause of Preston's death as kidney failure brought on by "malignant hypertension."

A virtuoso keyboard player, Preston was the only sideman to ever share label credit with the Beatles and was dubbed the "Fifth Beatle" after contributing soulful piano lines to the Fab Four's landmark White Album and Abbey Road, as well as to such gems as "Get Back" and "Let It Be." Aside from helping to ease the strain developing between the Beatles, he also appeared in the film Let It Be and performed with the moptops during their historic rooftop final concert in London.

The Afro-wearing Preston also worked extensively with the Stones on the albums Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street and It's Only Rock and Roll, playing piano and clarinet on such tracks as "Heartbreaker," "If You Can't Rock Me" and "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'?" During subsequent tours, the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band gave him the honor of playing two of his own songs halfway through the shows, with the Stones serving as his band.

Other notable artists with whom he colloborated included Sly and the Family Stone, Aretha Franklin, the Jackson Five and Barbra Streisand.

In the 1970s, Preston finally grabbed the spotlight for himself and never looked back. As a solo artist, he penned the Grammy-winning 1973 instrumental "Outta Space," as well as such ditties as "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing From Nothing." He also wrote Joe Cocker's tearjerker "You Are So Beautiful." Miles Davis even named a song after him.

During the '80s, he stumbled due to a series of personal problems, including a nasty drug and alcohol addiction, which led to him pleading no contest in 1992 to cocaine and assault charges. He was handed a suspended jail term and spent nine months in rehab. Six years later, he found himself in trouble again, and this time pleaded guilty to insurance fraud after trying to bilk insurers out of $1 million by setting fire to his own house.

However, in his later years he bounced back, touring with Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood as well as appearing in the movie The Blues Brothers 2000.

Eonline


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Racism Among the Classical Shoes

This past week I took dirty Fila to see a live performance of Vivaldi Four Seasons. Anyone who knows me knows that Four Seasons is absolutely one of my most favorite pieces of music to hear. When I saw that it was being performed in the newspaper, I was all over getting tickets. The don't call me the "Vivaldi Hummer" for nothing! The tickets were general so there was no assigned seats. I was going to be sure I got a front row seat or pretty darned close. It was held in one of the old historical churches downtown and we arrived about 45 minutes before the performance began.




We were able to get the third pew from the front. Yeah! The pews were normal long pews but they were divide in the middle by a wooden divider. On the center aisle on the left side of the third pew was a white couple already seated. dirty Fila and I went on the right aisle and sat on the right half of the third pew. We were in heaven...or maybe it was just me. I could see everything with no blockages at all. There were other people there as well, all very early so we could get a good seat. We all waited in silence for the performance to begin.

The church began to fill up and I did look around a time or two and of course dirty Fila and I were the only people of color. (Typical for the places that we go. Where the black people are, I do not know.) Well if you really had to, you could squeeze in and have 4 people on each 1/2 of a pew--on each side of the wooden divider; but, you will be elbow to elbow and cramped. Noone was sitting like that at all near the front. There were 2 people on each pew half. Well about 5-8 minutes before the performance was to begin, 2 middle aged women came walking down the right side aisle and I wondered where they were going. They stopped at our pew. Not the two ahead of us or the ones behind. Right were dirty Fila and I were sitting. Now to the right of us across the aisle was entire row of pews that were empty. Noone was sitting over there on the extreme right side of the church.

These two ladies were very entitled in their own minds. They were round little balls of pudge and not as nicely dressed as dirty Fila and I were. They had some nerve. One of them said to me with no please or an sort of nice in her voice at all, " I need you to move over to the other half of the pew so we can sit here, if you are not holding seats for someone coming."



Immediately the following thoughts swirled into my head: Had she lost her damned mind? Are we back in the times of segregation and Rosa Parks when black people had to give up their seats to white people? Heeeelllllll NO! I KNOW she did not ask me to give up my $36 seat and give it to her. If she wanted a good seat, she could have arrived 48 minutes early....3 minutes before me...so that she could get a good seat. I know she done lost her damned mind! She don't want me to go crazy up in here! She had better get the hell away from me and this pew.

I took a deep breath and spoke not a word. We were in church. dirty Fila and I were the only people of color there. The people in the pews all around us were all looking at what was happening. I let that breath out and spoke.

"NO. We are not moving. This is where we are sitting." That is all I said to her. My tone was clear (and not nice) that she had just messed with the wrong one and it could get ugly if she pursued. She just looked at me. I looked away at the stage ahead of me.

Puff ball and her friend then spoke to each other and said they would sit on the other side of the wooden divider. They were expecting one more to join them. Instead of going around to the center aisle, they decided to push on past dirty Fila and I. Well, you know that the room between pews is narrow and most people turn and side step around those who are sitting. Not these two. They were mad that I would not give up our seats to them so they decided to try to walk by, not side stepping. I did not move and they did not once say" excuse me" or anything as they bumped dirty Fila and I as they squeezed in . Well once they sat down they were cramped. I could see out of the corner of my eye that the right buttcheek of the friend was on the wooden divider. She could not sit all the way on the pew because the white couple who was sitting on the right half of the pew did not move over to accomodate them. They were cramped. I just looked straight ahead and continued to wait on the performance to begin.

They sat for a minute or two and then the one with the butt cheek on the wooden divider whispered to her friend that she felt faint and that she needed to move. Well, they decided to move. Again they did not go out the center aisle. They should have as they were on the other side of the wooden divider. It would make sense that they leave on the 1/2 of the pew that they were on. But no! They had to come back over firty Fila and I again. Again not side stepping at all. The friend was the first one out. The one who did the asking to me was the last one out. Now she passed me and was passing dirty Fila. She seemed to slow down and wiggle her butt purposely. I felt this and it was not confirmed until dirty Fila said the same thing to me later that she thought that she had done the same thing.

God took care of it. He knows when people are being evil. We were in church. Puff ball--she forgot that. We. Were. In. Church. God was watching her wiggle her butt in our faces. He fixed her good. He took care of it right on the spot. God and angels will fight your enemies for you.



Let's back up to when we sat down when we first came in. I noticed a prayer request sheet on the floor when we sat down and I asked dirty Fila if she had accidently knocked that down from the pew pocket in front of her. She said no, it was there already. We did not touch it. It stayed on the floor. Well Puff Ball was in obvious need of prayer for the way she was acting. All of a sudden Puff ball was no longer wiggling. She was tripping and falling. Tripping on the prayer request form that was on the floor. She fell on her right knee, right at dirty Fila's feet. I heard the loud trip and saw her go down and looked backto the stage. I looked to be sure she was not touching dirty Fila or asking for help. She was not. But she was now wedged between the pews and dirty Filas legs.

My child could not move and Puff ball could not get up. She was struggling. Her friend just turned around and just looked, did not help her, hold out her hand or anything. After a minute or two of her struggling her friend finally held out her hand and helped her up. I know she was not waiting for me or my child to help her. She was on her own. She had no right trying to do what she was doing anyway. It made no sense for her to go back out where we were sitting. She should have gone out the center aisle. I surpressed a laugh and Puff heard it. That was okay. She and her friend left and went to the rear of the church.

I enjoyed Vivaldi. It was out of this world. In the car later dirty Fila and I had a good laugh at what happened. dirty Fila gave me a description of a view that I could not see. She said that Puff ball went down on the right knee and had to fling out both her hands to brace herself on the floor or she would have fallen smack on her face.

It is 2006 but racism is still very real. As a parent I have to be sure that dirty Fila knows and can recognize racism when it happens so that she does not get caught in the wrong place with the wrong people. She has to be aware so that she is safe. She is not around many people of color, ever, nor are there many at her school. We attend a church that has less than 10 people of color as members and we are part of the 10. The world is changing...slowly. Not fast enough for me.

What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Mariah In Louis Vuitton Boots



Mariah had these one of a kind Louis Vuitton boots given to her after she shot her video for her new song Say Somethin. The boots do not make any of these outfits!


Okay Mariah. Here is your equation.

Fat plus tight clothes equals heiferism.

MOOOOOooooo!


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Star Jones and Falling Shoes

Star Jones Fired from the View!
Update as of June 29th



Star Jones was on Larry King Live. She has a very long interview with him. Check out the transcripts here.
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Television host Star Jones Reynolds has hit back at former "The View" co-host Barbara Walters' claim she was "fired" from the show due to poor individual ratings. Barbara Walters also had a little something to say in response :

ABC

"We didn't expect her to make this statement yesterday," Barbara Walters said on Wednesday. "She gave us no warning and we were taken by surprise. But the truth is that Star has known for months that ABC did not want to renew her contract and that she would not be asked back in the fall."

On Wednesday, Reynolds added fuel to the current fire when she called in to a Los Angeles radio show and spoke to Ryan Seacrest.

"I was told yesterday that they did not want me to return today," Reynolds said on the radio.

"So you're not going on today?" Seacrest asked.

"Nope, not at all," Reynolds replied. "I was told yesterday was my last day."

Despite the controversy, Walters offered a word of thanks to Jones.

"'The View' helped make Star a star and Star helped make 'The View' the success that it is," Walters said. "We will never forget that. We wish her well in this new chapter of her life as we begin a new chapter on "The View."

The show's other hosts have remained mum so far, as speculation begins over who might replace Reynolds and Meredith Viera, who left recently to prepare for her new job as co-host of NBC's "Today Show."

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Update: Star Jones is really leaving The View...in July!

"The View" co-host Star Jones Reynolds said on Tuesday she is leaving the daytime chat show in July, no doubt disappointing fans who hoped to see sparks fly when Rosie O'Donnell joins the program this fall.

But the congenial tone of the on-air announcement, with Jones Reynolds trading warm words with co-cost and executive producer Barbara Walters, glossed over behind-the-scenes friction leading to her widely expected departure.

"I feel like I was fired," she said in an interview with People magazine, adding that she was told her contract would not be renewed just days before media reports first surfaced this spring that O'Donnell -- one of her most vocal critics -- was joining "The View."

Jones Reynolds, 44, seemed to take her fellow co-hosts by surprise when she interrupted Tuesday's broadcast to confirm media reports that she was leaving after nine years on the ABC show with Walters, Joy Behar and Meredith Vieira.

"After much prayer and counsel I feel like this is the right time to tell you that the show is moving in another direction for its 10th season, and I will not be returning as co-host next year," she said on the air.

"That's shocking to me," Behar said as the studio audience gasped and Jones Reynolds clasped hands with her colleagues.

Thanking Walters "for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime," Jones Reynolds concluded: "I'm not sure what the future holds, but I'm absolutely sure who holds the future."

After a standing ovation from the audience, Walters, too, said Tuesday's announcement was unexpected, adding: "It is my joy that we have had you for nine years, and my sadness that it has turned out this way."

The gracious exchange concealed off-camera theatrics preceding "The View's" latest casting change.






Creator Barbara Walters said she was "betrayed" by Star Jones Reynolds' surprise on-air announcement of her exit from the daytime talk show Tuesday. Reynolds said in a magazine interview she felt she was fired.

Either way, the "help wanted" sign is up again at the show, months after it was announced that Rosie O'Donnell was replacing Meredith Vieira as a cast member in the fall.

Reynolds' exit had been rumored for months, intensifying Tuesday after reports on "Access Hollywood" and in the New York tabloids that an announcement would be coming soon.

Still, Walters said she was taken by complete surprise when Reynolds announced her departure after the first commercial break on Tuesday. The announcement had been planned for Thursday, she said.

"I love Star and I was trying to do everything I possibly could — up until this morning when I was betrayed — to protect her," Walters told The Associated Press.

Walters also said she wasn't aware until she got off the air of Reynolds' People magazine interview. Reynolds, one of the original cast members when the show started nine years ago, said: "I feel like I was fired."

That seems to be the case. Walters said ABC network chiefs had decided last fall not to renew Reynolds' contract because its research showed that Reynolds' dramatic weight loss and 2004 wedding to banker Al Reynolds had turned off viewers. Reynolds had been criticized for a Web site that promoted companies that donated items for the wedding party's gift bags.

"We tried to talk them out of it," Walters said, "and we tried to give Star time to redeem herself in the eyes of the audience, and the research just kept getting worse."

Reynolds' spokesman, Brad Zeifman, said the announcement had always been planned for this week. Because of all the speculation, Reynolds was compelled to tell viewers, he said.

He said he finds the notion that viewers were turned off by talk of her wedding "surprising," given that some of the top-rated shows in 2004 were related to her wedding and engagement. Reynolds' recent book in which she discussed her weight loss was a best-seller, he said.

Walters said Reynolds had known for several months that she would not be coming back, before Vieira's announcement in April that she was leaving.

"I would have loved for Star to have left and not said 'I was fired,' and not make it look like the program was somehow being cruel to her," she said.

O'Donnell's hiring had nothing to do with the decision, she said. That April announcement had led to widespread speculation over whether O'Donnell and Reynolds could co-exist. O'Donnell had made several caustic remarks about Reynolds, saying that it was dishonest for her to talk about losing more than 100 pounds through diet and exercise without talking about gastric bypass surgery.

On the show Tuesday, Reynolds told the audience that "The View" had decided to move in a new direction.

"I'm not sure what the future holds," she said. "But I'm absolutely sure who holds the future."

Comic Joy Behar looked like she was shocked.

"Who am I going to fight with?" Behar said.

Reynolds replied: "Something tells me you will have somebody to fight with."

Star Jones's "star" or shoes seem to be falling. I was home from work about a month ago and just happened to see her on The View and she looked miserable. She just did not look happy at all. She has lost a lot of weight but she does not look good. Odd how that works. Canada.com reports that she is selling her New York home for 2.25 million dollars.

Located atop 300 East 90th Street on the Upper East Side, the apartment has two bedrooms and a full bathroom on the first floor; a living room, dining room with fireplace, kitchen, powder room and a master bedroom suite with dressing room on the second floor; and a “party” room or extra bedroom on the third floor.


Rumor has it also that she and her "very manly" husband are headed for divorce court. I am not too sure about him. Something is not quite right with him. Are not all rumors based in some truth? So those rumors about him being gay had to stem from something. I do not think I could ever marry anyone with that sort of question/rumour/doubt swirling over his head.

The New York News

The official word from the couple is that all is well. But another source says they could be close to splitting, with Star considering a divorce lawyer.

The couple has been under scrutiny since their November 2004 wedding, which made headlines for the freebies they solicited from sponsors. And stories that Reynolds dated men before walking down the aisle led many to question whether it was a match made in heaven.

Jones' future as a co-host of "The View" also looks less than secure, especially since her nemesis Rosie O'Donnell was announced as a replacement for Meredith Vieira. Star was absent from her chair Friday, and "View:-eurs are noticing that she has been mentioning Al less on-air lately.



Honeymoon over????

I hear that Star Jones is about to be fired from The View as well. Gayle King is suppsed to be her replacement. I cannot imagine that Rosie is going on that show. It has jumped the shark! Maybe if Star and Rosie has stayed together.....now that would be a show to watch. I imagine the sparks would be flying! I just cannot stomach Rosie anymore. I used to think she was great. Now...just so-so. I would MAYBE watch her on a comedy show..a sitcom, but not a news type program. She is SOOOO over in that department. Meredith is a big blow to the show, I think. The View's view may be limited to the view of the door that says "cancelled."




ONES GETTING ' VIEW' VAMOOSE STAR Jones Reynolds has been told to hitch up her hefty wagonload of freebies and waddle off into the sunset, sources say.

ABC will announce this week that the big-boned talking head is out at "The View," a source close to the inner workings of the late-morning gabfest tells Page Six. What network brass won't say is that she's being unceremoniously ousted at the direct behest of the show's grand dame Barbara Walters and the incoming Rosie O'Donnell.

"It was always Rosie's condition of joining the show, and Barbara agreed to those conditions from the outset," our source said. The network and Jones are now concocting a face-saving scenario in which Jones will be touted as moving on to pursue important new projects.

Jones' camp yesterday denied the blustery babbler is going anywhere. "It's 100 percent not true. Where are you hearing this?" a rep for Jones said. A "View" flack echoed that. But those denials come on the heels of reports that Oprah Winfrey's best friend, Gayle King, may be in line to take over Jones' chair on the kitschy coffee klatch.

And while publicly, the show says Jones is "welcome" to remain on "The View" as long as she wants, insiders confirmed late last week that her agents are quietly shopping around for a new job for her.





Star Jones have a new side job. She is the AOL LOVE COACH. Now how she can be a love coach with that questionable husband is beyond me, but she is. Check out that link here.


Her new book can be purchased here at this link.







What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

This Week's NATIONAL ETIQUETTE AWARD goes to... Indonesia!

Indonesia Page in Wikipedia

World Factbook: Indonesia

Tourism Indonesia

The Ultimate Indonesia Homepage

I hereby grant the National Etiquette Award to Indonesia, as it is the custom in that country to remove shoes when entering homes.

Most of us heard the news about the earthquake in Indonesia. Another big natural disaster.

Indonesia is made up of many islands, some large and some small.

The people of Indonesia are mostly Malay in ethnicity. They are predomminantly Muslim, though Bali is mainly Hindu. The Islam of Indonesia is more liberal than that of the middle east. It has been influenced in part by some pre-Islamic traditions. However, more militant and conservative interpretations of Islam are spreading in Indonesia. The terrorist bombing in the Bali nightclub in 2003 was a shock to the world.

Christians in Indonesia are mostly among the Chinese minority, though there are Christians among the Malays and tribal peoples.

The economy of Indonesia has not always been all that stable and the Tsunami of 2004 set it back somewhat. However, the country has considerable natural resources, as well as tourism.

Indonesia is a country in which Christians suffer persecution. For more information about the suffering church worldwide please visit these sites:

Barnabas Fund

Open Doors International

Tune Your Run with Nike+ Ipod Shoes

Nike and Apple have teamed up to bring us a brand new way to use out IPODS and keep track of our run. Ipod Shoes! Nike has developed a line of shoes called Nike+ that has a built in pocket under the insole to hold the special ipod sensor that will allow the shoes to talk to the ipod. On the Nike site this is the only pair you can pre-order but on the Apple site there are many.


Air Zoom Moire : $100 to preorder

This is the gallery of ipod shoes to come. View here at Apple. All we need is the $29.00 sensor kit and you will be ready to go!




Place the sensor in your left Nike+ shoe, in the built-in pocket beneath the insole. You can leave the sensor in your shoe even when you’re not working out. Attach the receiver to your iPod nano. The receiver fits snugly into the Dock connector, located on the bottom of your iPod nano next to the headphone jack. Hit the ground running with workout-based voice feedback, Nike Sport Music content, and an iPod nano that stays in tune with every step.

Will I buy these? I am not sure. I think I would want to buy the MBT shoes first.

What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~